How to Fill Out a D&D Character Sheet

Before your group of adventurers can start vanquishing evil and looting the treasure of angry dragons, you first need to fill out your D&D character sheet. The character sheet contains all the relevant information you need to know about your character, such as how strong she is or what magic powers she can use. Filling out the 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons character sheet determines who exactly-your character is and how that character fits into the overall game world.

Read through the list of races in "Chapter 3: Races" of the D&D Player's Handbook and pick a race such as "Dragonborn" or "Eladrin." Write down your selection in the "Race" section at the top of your D&D character sheet.

Check the "Racial Traits" section of your race to find out what ability score changes you need to keep in mind, such as "+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom" for the "Elf" race. Write down the remaining traits for your race on your character sheet in the "Race Features" section, such as "+2 Perception Skill" and "Shortbow Weapon Proficiency" for the Elf race.

Write down your character's ability scores in the section at the upper-left-hand corner of the sheet. The starting ability score array is 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 16. Arrange the numbers however you want between the "Charisma," "Wisdom," "Intelligence," "Dexterity," "Constitution" and "Strength." Make any modifications based on your race's ability score changes.

Pick your class from the list in "Chapter 4: Character Classes," such as "Warlock" or "Warlord." Check the "Key Abilities" heading in the "Class Traits" section to ensure you are picking the right class for your ability scores. For example, if you put your "16" in the "Wisdom" score your character is better suited to take the Cleric class.

Write down the weapon and armor proficiencies listed in the "Class Traits" heading on the "Feats" section of your sheet. Locate the "Defenses" section of your sheet and write down the defenses listed in "Class Traits," such as "+1 Reflex, +1 Will" if you chose the Warlock class.

Write the "Healing Surges Per Day" entry of the "Class Traits" section in the "Surges/Day" box on your sheet. Look through the "Build Options" section of your character class and choose a specific build you want to use, such as "Control Wizard" for the Wizard class or "Trickster Rogue" for the Rogue class.

Pick the "At-Will," "Level 1 Encounter" and "Daily" powers listed for your character build in the character class section. Write down the names of the powers in the corresponding sections on the character sheet beneath the "Powers Index" heading.

Note the "Hit Points at 1st Level" entry in the "Class Traits" section and write the number down in the "Hit Points" box on your sheet. Pick the skills you want to use from the "Trained Skills" list in "Class Traits" and write them down on the "Skills" section of your sheet.

Flip to "Chapter Six: Feats" in the Player's Handbook and choose a feat appropriate for your class, such as "Backstabber" for the rogue class or "Dark Fury" for the Warlock class. Pick a second feat if your character is human instead of any other race.

Locate the "Attack Bonuses" section of the character sheet under the "Attack Workspace" heading. Write "0" in the "1/2" level box. Write down the ability score modifier for your main attack ability, such as the Strength score for a Fighter, in the "Ability" box. The ability score modifiers are listed on page 17. For example, a Strength score of 16 gives a modifier of "+3."

Check through the list of available equipment for your character in "Chapter 7: Equipment." You have 100 gold pieces to spend on the various weapons, armor and items listed in the section. Write down any equipment purchased in the "Other Equipment" heading of your sheet and write down any remaining gold pieces left in the "Coins" section.

Things You'll Need

D&D 4.0 character sheet

Pencil

4 six-sided dice

Tips

A character sheet is available at the back of the Player's Handbook, and are available for downloading through the Wizard's official Web page.

Your dungeon master may decide to use a random method for determining ability scores instead of using the standard score array. In this case you need four six-sided dice. Roll all four dice and add together the three highest numbers, dropping the fourth number. Repeat the process until you have six ability scores.

References

"Dungeons and Dragons Players Handbook"; Rob Heinsoon; 2008

Resources

About the Author

Ty Arthur has been writing technical and entertainment-related articles for a variety of online sources since 2008. His articles have appeared on Metalunderground.com and many other websites. Arthur attended the Great Falls College of Technology and studied both computer science and creative writing.